Saturday, January 22, 2011

The Gospel Pipeline is a tool we've developed that helps us flow, as CS Lewis wrote in the Chronicles of Narnia, "Further Up and Further In" to Christ and His amazing grace! It's sort of a spiritual GPS that helps us discern our location in the Gospel by presenting the typical flow to Growth in Grace. What I want to present you with is the Gospel Pipeline Creativity Challenge. Before I issue the challenge, however, we need to understand more of the Pipeline itself...

Here is an Executive Summary of the Gospel Pipeline using verses from our key passage: Titus 2:11-3:8 (one of the most balanced, integrated passages on grace in all of Scripture!):

1. Gospel Conversion Titus 2:11; Titus 3:5--Supernatural Grace regenerates the heart Grace for the entire Christian life is defined by grace at the start!

2. Gospel Diversion Titus 2:12, 14—The “Basics” often divert the emphasis from Christ to behaviors There is a tendency to “leave” the Gospel of Christ and focus on efforts of man

3. Gospel Perversion Titus 3:1-2—focus on behaviors often lead to a performance paradigm We look to Christ for heaven but look to self for daily status/standing

4. Gospel Reversion Titus 3:7—grace leads us to revert back to focus on Union with Christ We revert to the TRUE Basics of the Christian life--Identity in Christ

8. Gospel Incursion Titus 2:11-12—grace leads to a hostile invasion against sin by “Waltzing” We discover grace is not merely unconditional love but transforming power

9. Gospel Emersion Titus 2:14—A Gospel lifestyle begins to truly emerge from right motives Grace leads us to make full use of the Gospel Pipelines/Disciplines

10. Gospel Dispersion Titus 2:14--The Gospel begins to flow outside ourselves toward others Grace leads us to mission: we share grace with the Least and the Lost

11. Gospel AssertionTitus 2:13; 14—grace leads us to assert that the ultimate aim is God’s glory Grace, ultimately, is not about me or even mission, but the honor of Christ

12. Gospel Recursion Titus 2:12-13—grace teaches us we never “arrive” in this life Grace is how broken people with broken lives live in a broken world

OK, here's the Gospel Pipeline Creativity Challenge: I have a dear friend who took each of the phases of the Pipeline (God's 12 Step Program to recovery!!) and picked a song that reminded her of what each phase represents. I would like to enlist the universal creativity of The Church to help us all understand and remember the Gospel Pipeline better.

What I would like us to do is find our OWN songs that come to mind when we think upon each phase of the Pipeline, and share the results with one another. IN ADDITION, why not consider movie clips that would fit each phase, or paintings, or literary works or Broadway plays, etc...anything in the creative arts that would further give us a picture of what each phase of the Pipeline is and help us better remember it.

Here's my friends list to get you started in your thinking:

Gospel Conversion--Beautiful Things by Gungor (emphasizing the power of regeneration)Gospel Diversion--Eye of the Tiger by Survivor (emphasizing how we turn to determination to grow instead of to Christ)Gospel Perversion--Get On Your Boots by U2 (emphasizing how we develop a performance paradigm and try to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps!)Gospel Reversion--In Christ Alone by the Oak Mountain Worship Team (emphasizing Christ from first to last)Gospel Aversion--It's My Life by Bon Jovi (emphasizing our lust for independence and doing things My Way--another option for a song!)Gospel Insertion--Grace upon Grace by Sandra McCracken (emphasizing internalizing our need for continual grace)Gospel Immersion--Be Okay by Ingrid Michaelson (emphasizing we often just want to feel ok and sit and soak in the Hot Tub of Grace)Gospel Incursion--Hip-Hop Waltz in G Flat Minor by Young Mozart (emphasizing attacking sin by the 3-step Dance with Christ consisting of Repent! Believe! Fight!)Gospel Emersion--The Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News (emphasizing that the power of grace transforms us, enabling us to live in godliness)Gospel Dispersion--Arise by Third Day (emphasizing that Grace leads us to die to self, get out and serve in mission)Gospel Assertion--Glorious by Paul Baloche (emphasizing that grace is ultimately about the glory of God, not about my own personal growth or even mission, but the honor of Christ)Gospel Recursion--Dancing in the Minefields by Andrew Peterson (emphasizing we never arrive but will always be battling the world, the flesh and the devil until we go home or Christ returns)

Maybe the best way to go about this is by creating a Note and posting it on Facebook, tagging me...then we'll all have access to your "creation!"